Convention center potential conflict for polsDear Editor: Many public officials who have endorsed the proposed $4 billion mega-convention center to be built at Aqueduct in South Ozone Park Queens by Genting America may have a clear conflict o...

Dispatcher off on same-sex marriage debate
Dear Editor: In your 2/6 Dispatch section, there was a letter from a Hyman Auslander ("Same-sex marriage already solved"). In it he mocks another writer's earlier contention that there should be "a...

The truth behind rising gas prices
Dear Editor: The reason, and only reason, why gas prices and the price of everything else is going up is because "our" government has wrecked our economy. They do this by inflating our currency (th...

Make abatement work for middle classDear Editor: Every four years, the City of New York extends a program granting most co-ops and condo owners a 17.5 percent abatement on their property taxes. This program aims to lower the effectiv...

City's roadways are trash
Dear Editor: Does Mayor Michael Bloomberg realize the amount of garbage along the highways in Queens? Whatever happened to the "keep our highways beautiful" program we used to see on television as ...

Who's evaluating the evaluation system?Dear Editor: The recent decision by the state and city teacher unions to agree to a new statewide teacher evaluation system certainly is not all that clear. How can anyone really evaluate a teacher...

Vote Turner, Vote Guns
Dear Editor: My name is Richard Reif, and I'm a former Air Force officer, retired McGraw-Hill staff writer who has lived in Queens for the past 67 years. I have never had a problem with any of my c...

Gerrymandering is unfair across the boardDear Editor: One of the cover stories of the February 16th issue about redistricting certainly brought up some good points of contention, but like all arguments there are more sides to the story. T...

LATFOR failed at redistrictingDear Editor: On February 7, the New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) held a public hearing at Queens Borough Hall to gather comments from the p...

Praise for Paul
Dear Editor: Texas Republican Congress member and presidential candidate Ron Paul is refreshingly candid. Too many candidates for public office base and/or change their views on issues of the day u...

The White WingDear Editor: Just when you think you’ve seen them at their lowest, the “White” Wing Conservatives drop the bar even further. Yes, the White Wing is in fact a faction the Right Wing. As much as they...

Keep churches out of city schools
Dear Editor: The presence of religious services or religious activities of any kind in taxpayer-supported public schools violates the separation of church and state. I strongly disagree with the ef...

Smoke & Mirrors
Dear Editor: With the new plan President Barack Obama has come up with, religious organizations, charities, and hospitals won't have to include contraceptive services as part of their health care p...

We, the people, reject redistrictingDear Editor: Regarding the newly drawn district lines, these lines do not reflect fair and independent districts. The result of this plan will be matching excellent, current Queens State Senators a...

Breaking News

By Arshad Mohammed MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran rejected on Tuesday as "unacceptable" U.S. President Barack Obama's demand that it freeze sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years but said it would continue talks on a deal, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iran laid out the position as the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers met for a second day of negotiations and as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stinging critique of the agreement they are trying to hammer out. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met a day after Obama told Reuters that Iran must commit to a verifiable halt of at least 10 years on sensitive nuclear work for a landmark atomic deal to be reached. "Iran will not accept excessive and illogical demands," Zarif was quoted by Fars as saying.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Four American missionaries released by Venezuelan authorities after several days of detention and questioning say they are happy to be back home in North Dakota, but that they hope to return to Venezuela someday.